Rick Stein's Marlborough restaurant gets green light
The Rick Stein restaurant group is to open a new site in a listed building in Marlborough, after it was approved by Wiltshire Council planners.
The move is part of the group's plans to expand further into interesting sites beyond its Cornwall flagships, the company has confirmed.
The 18th century building, Lloran House, will change its use from an A1 and B1 to an A3 restaurant site, and is set to undergo a complete refurbishment prior to opening, with original features and historical elements of the building expected to be restored.
News of the site was first announced in December last year. It is to be a 102-cover restaurant set across the ground and first floor, including a bar, booth seating, and a kitchen in the basement.
The location will be the chef's third outside Cornwall, after its existing Rick Stein restaurant in Winchester, and the Dorset Sandbanks venue that opened late last year.
Head of marketing for the group, Hilary Dominey, confirmed to The Caterer that the planning consent had come through at the end of the day on 29 January, and explained that the plans would entail a full refurbishment.
She said: "The site has had various different uses in recent years, but it's a beautiful, 18th century building, and a lot of the various features have been concealed. I believe it's Jill's [Stein, Rick's ex-wife who remains his business partner and still manages the group, including overseeing interior design] intention to restore some of those lovely elements including the cornices and chimneys."
She added: "It will be a very different sort of place to our other sites, and it's important to have that individuality. It's really exciting."
Well known for his TV appearances and cookbooks, Stein and his ex-wife and sons operate the Seafood restaurant in Padstow, along with a fish and chip shop in the town and a host of other sites across the seaside county.
The group operates 10 sites overall.
Rick Stein plans new restaurant in Marlborough >>
Rick Stein to open Sandbanks restaurant >>
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